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LINKS TO THE PODCAST VERSION:

(Note: AEWCH is and will continue to be free as a podcast going forward, but AEWCH 50 is the LAST episode available publicly on YouTube. If you want YouTube versions of the show, go to patreon.com/connerhabib and sign up at any level; you’ll get instant access!)

Friends,

On my favorite episode of AEWCH so far, I speak with feminist author and radical, Mona Eltahawy. Mona is the author of Headscarves and Hymens: Why The Middle East Needs A Sexual Revolution, a book which has shaken the Arab world, feminist discourse, and also, on a personal note, has changed my inner life. Mona articulates what patriarchy is — and why it is our urgent task to resist it — better than anyone I’ve ever read or spoken to. Even if you have some resistance to the term (*ahem* hello, bros), Mona will help you see why this framing is so important. .

Mona and I talk about:

our sexual assaults and how we recovered and transmuted them into action

what patriarchy is, exactly, and how it enables and protects power

why enthusiastic consent is a problem (and how our consent is violated every day)

the urgent and political task of pleasure

why masculinity is a desire and the Brett Kavanaugh meltdown, where white male rage comes from

the way white people (particularly white women) pathologize Muslims (particularly Muslim women) without confronting their own issues

what we can learn about consent from porn performers

why sex isn’t and is special and why a sexual revolution is so important

Listen to the PODCAST version via iTunes or Stitcher or watch by clicking on our goofy faces above. (And please Subscribe to whatever option you choose!)

Chapo Traphouse, in case you don’t know, is a podcast which boasts the biggest Patreon on Patreon. It’s one of a handful of newer and successful leftist news outlets that is changing the contours of our public discussion and political landscape. And it’s really funny. The Chapo team talks about neoliberal and neoconservative punditry, stupidity, and cruelty. The talk about activism and social progress. They also do on-the-ground work, like door-to-door canvassing, meeting with international socialist groups to build bridges between movements, and donating money (most recently $10,000 to the Victim Rights Law Center) to causes.

In this ep:

The loneliness of thinking bigger about politics: 2:15

The way media ensnares our imaginations in incremental change: 6:15

Why we need to be suspicious of “progressives,” including Kamala Harris: 7:25

The on-the-ground marginal change is urgent, but will lead us down the wrong path if we don’t dream, bigger.: 11:15

Stop using the language of your enemies.: 12:50

Dragging the leaders down and raising the people up: 15:20

Felix loves Downfall and it shows the weaknesses of iconic maniacs:16:35

Distinctions in evil.: 18:35

The Nazis Conner grew up with and, like the NAZI Nazis that Conner grew up with.: 21:15

Why we need to be more forgiving of idiots: 23:15

When do people deserve public scorn, when should we just ignore them, and when should we forgive them?: 27:20

How fear of being “reactionary” is kind of white bro capitalist bullshit in the attention economy, bro.: 32:30

What healthy detachment is and why it’s needed for leftists: 38:40

Mindfulness as a way to exploit workers.: 40:30

“Love what you do” is a trap, but we should love what we do. So now what? 43:55

The suspicion of pleasure is capitalist exploitation, too.: 45:45

Our era is not the first dumb era. 49:35

Felix and I talk adult movies. IN A POLITICAL WAY.: 53:40

Children are teeny tiny monsters. 58:45

So Felix, why do people hate you and Chapo so much?: 1:01:20

The public discussion is crucial to what our actions can achieve.: 1:11:55